The Epson PowerLite 955W WXGA 3LCD Projector ($899) offers the same WXGA (1,280-by-800) resolution and the same 3,000-lumen brightness rating as the Epson EX6220 WXGA 3LCD Projector that I recently reviewed. Just like its less-expensive cousin, it delivers excellent quality for data images and better-than-typical video for a data projector. The biggest difference is that it substitutes a 1.6x zoom lens for a 1.2x zoom, which justifies the higher price, and helps make the 955W our Editors' Choice for WXGA projectors for a small to midsize room.

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The 1.6x zoom makes the 955W a head-to-head competitor with the Editors' Choice NEC NP-M311W. The NEC projector offers the same resolution as both Epson models and essentially the same brightness, but outdoes the 955W's zoom slightly, with its 1.7x, rather than 1.6x, zoom. That gives you even more flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. Overall, the two are so closely matched that although the 955W delivers enough to make it Editors' Choice for the category, it shares that distinction with the NEC projector rather than replaces it.

BasicsLike both the NEC NP-M311W and the Epson EX6220, the 955W is built around a 3-chip WXGA LCD engine. That gives all three the advantage over single-chip DLP projectors of being guaranteed to be free of rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue). Another advantage LCD projectors offer over most DLP projectors is that they offer the same color brightness as white brightness, so you don't have to worry about a difference between the two affecting image brightness or color quality. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.)

The disadvantage that comes with the LCD engine is the lack of 3D support, a feature that almost all recent DLP projectors offer, including, for example, the BenQ MW523, which can show 3D content with video devices like Blu-ray players. This will obviously be an issue if you want 3D, but irrelevant otherwise.

Setup and BrightnessWeighing in at 6 pounds 6 ounces, the 955W is light enough to carry if you need to. However, projectors in this weight class are more likely to wind up permanently installed or on a cart.

Setup is standard, with manual controls for focus and zoom. The back panel offers all the most common choices for image inputs, including an HDMI port, a VGA port , and a composite video port. There's also an S-video port, a USB Type B port for direct USB display and for controlling the computer mouse from the projector's remote, a LAN port for sending images and audio as well as for controlling the projector over a network, and a USB Type A port for reading files directly from a USB memory key or for connecting an optional ($99) Wi-Fi dongle.

The 3,000-lumen rating is typical for projectors meant for small to midsize rooms. Using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, and assuming a 1.0-gain screen, 3,000 lumens is suitable for roughly a 210- to 280-inch (diagonal) image in theater-dark lighting. Even with moderate ambient light, it's bright enough for a 140-inch (diagonal) image. If you need a smaller image, you can lower the brightness by switching to the projector's Eco mode, one of its lower-brightness preset modes, or both.

Image Quality, Lamp Life, and AudioImage quality is excellent for data images and better than typical for video. The only issues I turned up in our standard suite of DisplayMate tests are so minor that they're hardly worth mentioning. Red, for example, was a touch on the orange side in some preset modes, but colors in general were eye-catching, vibrant, and well saturated in all modes. Very much on the plus side, the 955W did a good job holding detail. With text, for example, white text on black was crisp and highly readable at sizes as small as 7.5 points, and black text on white was highly readable even at 6 points.

Video quality is necessarily limited by the native 1,280-by-800 resolution, which translates to a maximum of 720p HD video without having to scale the image. Despite any issues related to resolution, however, the quality is far better than typical for a data projector and easily watchable for long sessions.

As with the Epson EX6220, the 955W promises a low running cost, with a longer than usual lamp life—at 5,000 hours in Normal mode or 6,000 hours in Eco mode—combined with the fact that the replacement lamp costs just $99. As a final plus, the 16-watt speaker offers suitable sound quality and enough volume to fill a midsize room. If you need still better quality, stereo, or more volume, you can connect an external sound system to the audio output.

Unless you need 3D, the Epson PowerLite 955W WXGA 3LCD Projector should be on your short list for a WXGA projector, along with the NEC NP-M311W. It delivers essentially the same level of brightness and image quality as the NEC model, better audio, nearly the same zoom level, and a lamp life that's somewhat longer in Normal mode, but shorter in Eco mode. Neither is clearly better than the other in any important way, to the point where you could almost flip a coin to choose between them. Heads or tails, you'll wind up with an excellent projector, and an Editors' Choice.

About the Author

M. David Stone is an award-winning freelance writer and computer industry consultant. Although a confirmed generalist, with writing credits on subjects as varied as ape language experiments, politics, quantum physics, and an overview of a top company in the gaming industry. David is also an expert in imaging technologies (including printers, moni... See Full Bio

Epson PowerLite 955W WXGA 3LCD ...

Epson PowerLite 955W WXGA 3LCD Projector

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